Added To This, Grijalva Considered That His
Instructions Were Positive Not To Attempt Any Settlement; And This Being
Backed By The Opinion Of His Captains, Montejo And Avila, He Determined To
Return.
Tacking about, therefore, he came back to the great river of
Guazacoallo, but could not enter it on account of bad weather.
They
proceeded thence to the river of Tonala, which they had named St Anthony,
where they careened their leaky ship. While here, many Indians came to
them from the town, which was a league off, bringing fowls, bread, and
other provisions, which they bartered for Spanish toys; and the news
having spread over the country, others came from Guazacoallo, and other
neighbouring towns, bringing provisions, small gold plates, and very
bright copper axes with painted handles. Thinking these axes had been pale
gold, the Spaniards purchased six hundred of them, and the natives would
willingly have sold them more.
While at this place, one Bartholomew Prado went to a temple which stood in
the fields, whence he brought some of the perfume used by the Indians,
named copal, or, as some call it, gum anime. He also brought away the
knives of flint, with which the priests sacrifice men to their false gods,
by ripping them open, and some idols. He delivered all these things to
Grijalva, having first taken off the ear-rings, pendants, plates, and
crowns of gold with which the idols were adorned, worth about ninety
pieces of eight, which he endeavoured to conceal; but not being able to
dissemble his joy for the booty he had obtained, Grijalva had notice of it;
yet, being of a generous temper, he restored all to Prado, reserving only
the fifth for the king. When they had refitted their ship, they sailed in
forty-five days to Cuba, with gold to the value of 4000 pieces of eight,
besides what Alvaredo had carried. When they came to pay the fifth for the
copper axes, which they had bought for gold, they were much confused on
finding them rusty. They put into the harbour of Matancas, where Grijalva
found a letter from Velasquez, ordering him to tell the soldiers that
another fleet was fitting out for returning to make a settlement in New
Spain, and that those who chose to go back should remain at some farms
belonging to the governor in that neighbourhood. Grijalva himself was
ordered to come with all speed with the ships to Santiago, where the new
fleet was fitting out. On appearing before Velasquez, he had no thanks for
all the trouble he had been at, and was even abused for not having made a
settlement, though he had acted exactly according to his instructions.
This was a capital blunder in Velasquez, as he seemed resolved to find a
person fitted both for making discoveries and of betraying him by setting
up for himself. One would have imagined that a man of so much good sense
as Velasquez certainly had, would have had the judgment to retain in his
employment a person so fit for his purpose as Grijalva had proved; and the
very thing for which he disgraced him ought assuredly to have preserved
him from that fate, since only by a scrupulous regard to his instructions
had he refrained, after such valuable discoveries, from pursuing that line
of conduct by which he was most likely to have established his fortune and
independence.
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